To submit an idea for the 2013 council priorities, email Acting City Clerk Lynette Beck at beckl@bouldercolorado.gov by 5 p.m. Monday.

City Councilwoman K.C. Becker wants officials to look for ways to encourage police officers to live in the city as a way to ensure the police department shares Boulder's values.

"Boulder has a distinct and well-defined set of values that are as clearly drawn as the lines that mark our geographic boundaries," Becker wrote in an email to fellow City Council members. "It is important that these values be understood and shared by our police officers."

Becker wants the city's Housing and Human Services department to look for any incentives it could offer to police officers who choose to live in the city. She made the suggestion in advance of the City Council retreat scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The retreat is an opportunity for council members to lay out their priorities and shape the city staff's work plan for 2013.

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Other council members have also raised questions about whether police officers share Boulder's values after the killing of a large bull elk by an on-duty officer. The officer did not report the shooting, as is standard practice, and another off-duty police officer took the elk home for meat.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating whether the officers committed any crimes, and the Boulder Police Department is conducting its own internal investigation into whether the officers violated department policy.

Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner
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JEREMY PAPASSO
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The killing of the elk, a frequent visitor to the Mapleton Hill neighborhood who had been dubbed "Big Boy," sparked outrage in the community. There have been two public memorial services for the elk, and another is planned for Sunday.

"I wonder if the cops who were involved in the elk shooting just did not anticipate that backlash, and I think if you lived in Boulder you would have anticipated it," Becker said in an interview.

Police Chief Mark Beckner has been inundated with calls and emails demanding the officers involved be fired. Beckner has promised a full investigation and said that many police officers are just as angry as the public.

Information about how many police officers live within city limits was not available Friday afternoon, but Beckner said the number is very low.

One reason is the cost of housing in Boulder, he said. Patrol officers earn between $50,169 and $74,399, and they can afford nicer homes in nicer neighborhoods in other parts of the metro region.

But the other reason is personal, Beckner said.

"When you live in a mid-sized town, it's harder to not be known as an officer," he said. "A lot of people like to get away from the job and not worry about running into someone that you may have arrested last week."

"That's why they work here," he said. "We have people who deliberately select to work for this department because they share our values."

Councilwoman Becker said she does not mean any disrespect to police officers when she says she believes more of them would share Boulder's values if they lived here. She said people develop a different perspective on a community when they live there than when they just work there.

Becker said she just wants the city staff to look into the interest level and feasibility of offering housing incentives to police officers. If only a few officers would take advantage of such a program, it might not make much of a difference.

She also wants the city to consider requiring the next police chief to live in Boulder.

The city manager, city attorney and planning director all are required to live in Boulder. Chief Beckner lives in Longmont.

Beckner said he had lived in Longmont for years for many of the same reasons that other officers choose not to live in Boulder. Before applying for the chief position, he asked if he would be required to move. If the answer had been yes, Beckner said, he wouldn't have applied.

"Frankly, I couldn't have sold my house and bought anything similar in Boulder," he said. "It would have been a step down."

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